Hailey Bieber Updates the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Codes of Red Carpet Style
With Bieberchella in the rear view mirror, Hailey Bieber is returning to her classic red carpet rhythms—starting with the Time 100 gala.
Reported by Vogue.
Hailey Bieber just gave us a masterclass in quiet luxury, and it's giving very much Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy energy. At last night's Time 100 Gala in New York, the Rhode founder showed up in a silvery sheer vintage Calvin Klein gown—balconette bodice, body-hugging silhouette, delicate lacy floral overlay—that managed to feel both provocative and restrained at once. It's the kind of dress that whispers rather than shouts, which, frankly, is exactly how the late Kennedy icon moved through the world.
The CBK obsession won't quit, and there's a reason: Bessette-Kennedy understood that true elegance lives in simplicity. She was a Calvin Klein devotee before devotion was trendy—wore his designs constantly, mixed them with Yohji Yamamoto and Alexander McQueen, and never once looked like she was trying. Bieber, who's built her own reputation on a similarly unfussy aesthetic, is essentially walking that same playbook. Her red-carpet uniform rarely deviates: Saint Laurent, Tom Ford-era Gucci, the occasional vintage piece that lands with the weight of intention rather than accident.
The Details Matter
What separates a good red-carpet look from a memorable one is how Bieber finished the moment. Briony Raymond diamond earrings (sparkle, but measured), a slim Cartier watch, dove gray satin mules—nothing competing for attention, everything in conversation. Her glam was equally dialed in: tousled long hair, flushed cheeks (likely Rhode's Toasted Teddy, because of course), and nails painted in a minimalist pinky nude. This is strategic restraint. This is knowing that contradiction—a sheer dress that reads as both sensual and elegant—is more powerful than obvious sexiness.
The Time 100 Gala turned out plenty of major moments. Dakota Johnson floated in Valentino; Jennie commanded attention in sculpted Schiaparelli. But Bieber's approach felt distinctly modern in its refusal to perform. She's not channeling Bessette-Kennedy so much as she's inherited her language, and she's speaking it fluently—which means the naked-dress trend, the minimalist codes, and the cult of understated luxury aren't fading anytime soon.
The formula works because it doesn't try to: when you dress like you're not trying to impress anyone, you somehow impress everyone.
Read the original at Vogue.
